I’ve been so impressed with this blog. I’ve enjoyed the articles I’ve read so far. I’ve been blogging a bit about homosexuality and Mormonism. For those looking to know what the Church has said about this matter (basically quotes to back up the content of the article above), see: www.allaboutmormons.com/Blog/mormons_gay_haters_passage_proposition_ENG_28.php To read the testimonies of active members of the church who struggle with same-sex attraction: www.allaboutmormons.com/Blog/heroic_faith_gay_mormons_1830s_ENG_44.php Thank you for your compliments and for the links to this useful site! Read more

I really appreciate your blog. It is thought provoking and insightful. Thank you for providing this space for LDS theology to co-mingle with psychology. I am LDS, married, and a stay at home mom of a 2 year old son. He’ll be 3 in October. My concern is about his increasing interest in masturbation. I’m frustrated by the lack of guidance I’ve found on parenting websites, where pediatricians do not deem early masturbation a problem and simply encourage parents to... Read more

A step in the right direction? newsnet.byu.edu/story.cfm/72149 Thank you for sharing this article. When people run into problems they have the option to seek help from priesthood leaders/clergy, physicians and professional therapists. It is always in the client’s best interest when these efforts work together as complements. We need to remain cognizant as members and as leaders within our church that although priesthood leaders have a spiritual mantle and can be incredibly useful to those they counsel, they are not... Read more

I am so glad I stumbled upon this blog. Great work you are doing here. My question regards homosexuality. How does one gain confidence and understanding of our church’s doctrine regarding gays? Right now, I have befriended four gay women. One of them has cancer and I have been regularly visiting her and her partner. She is dying. They know I am LDS, but I fear the day when they will confront the elephant in the room. Personally, I see... Read more

This struck home for me (Further comments on “How would you define pornography?”). I am a recovering (female) sex addict and I was in therapy for over a year for it. I couldn’t figure out at first why my therapist kept asking about how my parents raised me since I was never sexually abused and I couldn’t figure out what that had to do with it. I recall that one of my very first memories was I was playing with... Read more

I am by no means a qualified therapist but I have noticed an underlying and unspoken theme with couples in this situation. The one who has left the church (forcibly or on their own) feels anger towards the Church, but they also feel a good deal of guilt. This husband may say that the Church is stupid, garments are silly, etc., but he is attempting to justify his wrong decisions by doing so. And the axiom that “misery loves company”... Read more

My sister’s husband was excommunicated and dislikes her wearing her garments as he considers them unsexy and silly. Perhaps other couples in similar situations (or even where both are believers) struggle with this. There is a dynamic that seems to occur within a couple where one has left the church or is in the process that is fascinating to me. It is as if that person has completely forgotten what it means to be a devout and practicing Latter-day Saint.... Read more

The following excerpts are taken from How to Hold on to Feeling & Being Happy: Quick Mood Fixes vs. Sustained Relational Giving- by Reinhild Draeger–Muenke, PsyD; Haim Horowitz, MA; and Ofra Shaham, PhD. Article found in Family Therapy Magazine (November-December 2006 issue). “It appears that current culture eagerly promotes activities and material acquisitions as a way to create immediate excitement and joy, which may mistakenly be taken for happiness, but tends to fade as soon as the initial stimulation wanes.... Read more